JIM BAXTER OF RANGERS F.C., HIS 'GREATEST TEAM' JERSEY, 1999

embroidered crest and inscription Greatest Team to left breast, embroidered Jim Baxter to right, Toffs 1957-68 size XL Note: James Curran Baxter (1939-2001) remains, quite simply, one of the nation’s greatest ever footballers. Born in Fife, he would begin his playing career with Halbeath Juveniles and Crossgate Primrose, before signing for Raith Rovers in 1957. It was during his time with the latter that he started to attract the attention of several bigger clubs, particularly after a standout performance vs. Rangers at Ibrox, where he guided the team to a 3-2 victory. Indeed, it was this masterclass that led Rangers manager Scot Symon to become intent on signing the youngster, finally putting pen to paper in June 1960, when Baxter joined for a then-Scottish record fee of £17,500. Rangers were to become the side with which he is still most famously associated, growing into that special and natural playmaker fans fondly referred to as ‘Slim Jim’. He first played for the team between 1960 and 1965, during which time he helped them to ten major trophies (three League Championships, three Scottish Cups, and four League Cups), though, as one commentator points out, ‘reducing him to his medals misses the point…’ Certainly, Baxter was an entertainer. With the ball at his feet, he was a magician. Seemingly unaffected by pressure, with a touch he could either turn a defender inside-out or knock the ball forty yards on to any chosen blade of grass. It is often said that footballers are limited by the age in which they compete, a pertinent statement for those playing in the 1960s, when a boggy pitch was exacerbated by thick boots and a thicker ball. Not Baxter. His vision, precision and flair projected him as one of the all-time greats. This was particularly true whenever he pulled on a Scotland jersey. From 1960 to 1967, he was a dominant figure in a national team one could argue was the strongest we’ve ever seen. He won a total of 34 caps, helping them to some memorable victories. A number of those performances stand out, not just for Baxter, but as amongst the most iconic in our country’s history. His ‘keepy-uppies’ during a 3-2 victory over World Champions England in 1967, remains the stuff of national folklore. Despite his seismic talent, Jim’s playing career would later be hampered by personal circumstance. Following spells with Sunderland and Nottingham Forrest, he briefly returned to Rangers in 1969, where he would retire the following year. His genius continued to be realised throughout the footballing world though, some of the greatest names in the sport passing comment: Sir Alex Ferguson once described Baxter as ‘arguably the best player to play in Scottish football’, and ‘the greatest player I ever played with… he had touch, balance, vision and just this wonderful aura…’ Willie Waddell thought he ‘…was the finest left half ever produced by Rangers.’ A feeling echoed across the city, when Jimmy Johnstone said, ‘he was a great man and a genius on the ball.’ His impact was also a global one, Pelé and Puskás being amongst his admirers. Indeed, George Best named him in a best XI: ‘The fact that Jim Baxter is remembered mostly for humiliating England at Wembley in '67 helped with this selection. He was even more of a showman than me, which is saying something – and perhaps why I got on with him so well! So skilful, a real genius. Whenever we played against each other, we would try to outdo one another.’ This status was formally recognised in 1999, when Rangers vice-chairman Donald Findlay put forward the idea of a poll of the team’s ‘Greatest Ever XI’. This would consist of only post-war players and was to be voted for by fans from around the world. Not only was Baxter selected, but also gained enough votes to place third on the list. The XI consisted of the following: Andy Goram, Richard Gough, Terry Butcher, Sandy Jardine, Paul Gascoigne, Jim Baxter, John Greig, Davie Cooper, Brian Laudrup, Mark Hateley and Ally McCoist. Each was presented with a commemorative shirt to mark the occasion. The moment was perhaps bittersweet for Baxter. Following years of heavy drinking, he had recently undergone a liver transplant, and would tragically pass of pancreatic cancer not long after the ceremony, aged just 61. As a man, he may have been fallible, but as a player, his legacy lives on. This jersey was given to the vendor (a close friend of Baxter’s) after the ceremony. It is a rare and hugely important piece of club history, one of only eleven ‘Greatest Team’ shirts awarded to that most formidable of starting XIs. It is the one given to Slim Jim Baxter.